“I am not going to stand by and let the Supreme Court take the right to vote away from us. You cannot stand by. You cannot sit down. You got to stand up. Speak up. Speak out, and get in the way. Make some noise!”
— U.S. Rep. John Lewis, 73, (D-Atlanta)
“In the late ’60s in Mississippi, Charles Evers became the first African American mayor in our town. My parents were insulted because whites in the town said blacks wouldn’t vote for a black man. My grandmother, who was not well, got out of her bed and voted. They were people with strong resolve.”
— Rudy Cadney, 61, of Marietta
“With the recent voting rights decision, civil rights are being threatened … If you are to elect people to represent you, that affects all the other issues in your life.”
— Thomas Jones, 59, of Fairfax County, Va.
“There are efforts to turn back the clock of freedom, and I ask you today: Will you allow that to happen? Take the words ‘stand your ground’ in a positive sense. Stand your ground in terms of fighting for justice and equality.”
— Myrlie Evers Williams, 80, wife of slain Mississippi civil rights leader Medgar Evers
“Our police are supposed to be our protectors. They are there to protect and serve.”
— Jan Chappell, 64, formerly of Atlanta, now of Colorado Springs, Co. Her sign read: “If Trayvon Martin was white he’d be alive.”
“A lot of people think there are no more issues with race. There is still racism, it’s just in a lot of different forms.”
— Anthony Brown, 35, who brought his 11-year-old daughter, Beyonce, from Philadelphia, Pa., "so she could experience this."
“This is not the time for nostalgic commemoration. Nor is this the time for self-congratulatory celebration. The task is not done. The journey is not complete. We can and we must do more.”
— Martin Luther King III, 55, of Atlanta
“As young social engineers, it was important to come hear about the issues, such as labor. I’m very surprised to see so many young people here. Civil rights first affected our moms and pops, now it’s affecting us. The torch has been passed.”
— Charis Dorsey, 24, a law student at Howard University, graduate of Spelman College and Mays High School in Atlanta
“My son (who is in college) made this sign (saying “Love is Too Big to Fail”) for the Occupy movement. So I brought it. He had memorized all of Martin Luther King’s quotes. He got into social justice in the sixth or seventh grade. “
— Sheri Morgan, of Greencastle, Pa.
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